In Praise of The Independent: Finding strengths in Nick Clegg
29 January 2012 Leave a Comment
The Independent write Clegg can reap rewards from his canny tax plans in which there is significant praise for Nick Clegg which is worth reading:
Another politician showing more boldness since the turn of the year is Nick Clegg. He ruffled Tory feathers this week by taking the unusual step of making public the Lib Dems’ demands for the March Budget. His call for the speeding up of plans to raise personal tax allowance to £10,000 a year is also a “win-win” move.
The long-planned address was well-timed, coming a day after the negative growth figures. Without breaking ranks with the Tories on deficit reduction, there was a hint of Keynesian economics to contrast with the fiscal conservatism of Cameron-Osborne.
More far-sighted Tories acknowledge the Deputy Prime Minister is playing a clever game on tax. If he wins speedier tax cuts, it would be a boost for the Lib Dem brand. If Mr Osborne rejects the idea, and the higher taxes on the rich needed to pay for it, then the Tories’ Achilles heel – that they are the party for the rich – will be more exposed.
Mr Clegg’s clever speech worked on yet another level. His proposed tax cuts for the “squeezed middle” invaded the territory occupied by Ed Miliband – and highlighted the gulf between opposition and Government.
